“Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.” Thoughts?

“Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.” [P. Picasso]

Nicely put Mr Pablo Picasso.

Sometimes it is easier to capture a picture than to find the right words. I look back at the photos I have taken over the years, (whether the printed albums, or the computer catalogue) and it is a more revealing collection of my adventures & emotions & visits than any diary i kept. My written diary keeping was somewhat sporadic and incomplete. It took more effort to write everything down than my concentration span allowed for, so the stories of my younger self often fade to dotdotdot, or an empty page that i left with the vain hope of completing it later.

Pixels, paint or ink. Lightwaves, brushstrokes or words. Whichever tools and skills you gravitate towards they are all used to express oneself, and i rather like that Picasso implies that painting and writing are equal. It takes time to craft the words on a page, compose a camera shot, or edit a digital artpiece. It is somewhat theraputic. It uses both your experiences and imagination. It requires looking back at a moment in the past to create something in the present. Yes, ‘it’ could be painting, photography, writing, or another craft altogether.

At the moment i’m loving learning how to use my camera to portray my moods, express my thoughts, and share something i believe to be worthwhile. Mostly i’m doing that for myself, which does make it like a diary. However there is a small slice that i share with friends and bloggers because sometimes it is nice to see a reaction to my pictures. (Side note: i wonder what Picasso would have made of Instagram etc?!)

One thing that this quote has provoked me to think more about is the subjects of my photographs. If my photograph albums are like diaries, are there any gaps that need filling? Is there anything important missing? I’d suggest that most of us photograph big life events and then things that strike us as unusual or special…but perhaps don’t get the camera out for ‘everyday’ occasions. Mostly that would be because the normal background of our lives is not particularly worth bringing to the foreground. However, what may be part of the fabric of your life now may not be in years to come, and you may wish later you had a record of something that you loved but is beginning to fade from memory. For me, that would be pictures of my family sitting in their favourite seats, or relaxing in their fave way …

So my lesson for today, as inspired by Mr Picasso, is to capture those ‘everyday’ but ‘loved’ moments.